Carries Book Reviews

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Title: Macarons Can Be Murder

Author: Rose Betancourt

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publication Date: July 11, 2023

Page Count:  262

My rating: 3 stars

About the book:

Perfect for fans of Ellie Alexander and Lucy Burdette, Rose Betancourt’s series debut is a culinary treat sure to charm.

Living in Paris, Kentucky, and having a sidekick cat named Pepe le Pew gives Marci Beaucoup’s life a certain je ne sais quoi. Combining her love of baking and France, Marci opened La Belle Patisserie to bring her small Southern hometown a bit of French flair and lots of croissants. Everything is sunshine and macaronsat the bakery until her landlord calls to tell her she’s selling the property. Marci’s relieved to hear that if the top bidder, an enchanting Frenchman named Antoine Dubois, gets the property, he’ll renew her bakery’s lease. Charmed by Antoine, Marci figures this development isn’t half bad and sees a handsome new landlord in her future—but then Antoine’s estranged ex-girlfriend Kelly turns up dead in front of her bakery. Sacrebleu!

Everyone calls Marci’s pastries “to die for,” but nobody’s actually died at La Belle Patisserie before. Antoine quickly becomes the main suspect to everyone in Paris—including to womanizing detective Maverick Malone. Who else would have killed Kelly but the ex-boyfriend she was just seen fighting with on the day of her death?

Marci finds out from her landlord that if Antoine is arrested, his purchase of her building will fall through—and her landlord will sell to developers instead, who plan to demolish the building and construct a strip mall in its place. Enamored with Antoine and with her patisserie dreams hanging in the balance, Marci is determined to prove Maverick and the rest of Paris wrong and find the true killer before Antoine winds up in jail—and she has to say au revoir to her bakery.   

Now Marci finds herself mixed up in the murder investigation, and she must find the killer before her half-baked theories result in her untimely death.

Macarons Can Be Murder by Rose Betancourt is the first book in the cozy A Paris Kentucky Bakery Mystery series. As with most cozy mystery books the mystery within this first book is fully solved so it can be read as a standalone if choosing to do so.

Marci Beaucoup has a total love for France and everything French but since she lives in America she has had to settle for the “other” Paris, the one in Kentucky. Marci has decided to combine her love of baking and everything french and open her own little bakery, La Belle Patisserie.

Just as Marci is getting the bakery up off the ground and business begins she finds that her landlord is wanting to sell the building. The new owner, Antoine Dubois, however ensures that Marci will be able to continue her business as usual, that is until Antoine ends up a murder suspect when his ex turns up dead in front of the bakery.

Macarons Can Be Murder by Rose Betancourt was an ok opener to this new cozy series. The story is kind of short one for an opener so I would have liked more suspects and time to get to know the characters and town a bit better before it all wrapped up. I would also warn to those out there that dislike a love triangle that this one seems to be one to include one so that may be a turn off to some but otherwise for me I’d have to see if this one grows on me in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Rose Betancourt is a USA Today bestselling author. She enjoys writing quirky and fun novels with a paranormal twist. When she’s not plotting her next mystery novel, she loves reading, painting, spending time with family, and listening to oldies.  Her writing is fueled by Diet Coke and dark chocolate. Rose lives near Louisville, Kentucky. 

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Rogue Launch
Cara Dee
(The Renegades, #1)
Publication date: July 21st 2023
Genres: Adult, LGBTQ+, Romance, Suspense

The Renegades #1 Romantic Suspense Enemies to Lovers Action MM

“We will find you, darling. Stay strong. We will find you.”

This was exactly what Elliott Jones needed. A nice barbecue with family and friends. The moving trucks were parked outside his new ranch, and he was ready to start fresh. Again. Despite the regrets he lived with, he tried to focus on the good things in life. His niece Blake, for instance. She was his world. But after twenty years of working as a private military contractor in some of the most hostile territories on the planet, Elliott had made more than one enemy.

He heard the unmistakable sound of a rocket launcher, catapulting him and his closest friends into a nightmare of agony, rage, and determination. Lives had been lost, and three people had been kidnapped. Among them, little Blake.

Elliott would stop at nothing to bring her home again, even if he had to team up with his absolute biggest regret, Joel Hayward—Coast Guard sniper, the ex-husband of Elliott’s sister, and Blake’s stepdad.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order

Author Bio:

I’m often awkwardly silent or, if the topic interests me, a chronic rambler. In other words, I can discuss writing forever and ever. Fiction, in particular. The love story—while a huge draw and constantly present—is secondary for me, because there’s so much more to writing romance fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex.

There’s a world to build, characters to develop, interests to create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly.

Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life, and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions, history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve.

I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My characters will never be perfect.

Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.

I’m a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, cooking, baking, and geeking. There’s time for hockey and family, too. But mostly, I just love to write.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook Group / Facebook Page / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter / Bookbub

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**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

The Substitute Sister
Katherine Nichols
Publication date: June 1st 2023
Genres: Adult, Psychological Thriller, Thriller

Four years after losing her sister Stella, Grace McElroy has begun to heal. She no longer spends her days overcome with grief and guilt. But the appearance of a woman who looks just like Stella makes her doubt her sanity.

Even more terrifying, she learns her adopted daughter’s biological father, once a brutal Ecuadorian drug lord, is in the States. Before she can determine whether he’s come to reclaim his child, the little girl is kidnapped, and Grace and her family will do anything to get her back.

A hundred miles away, Natalie Burden discovers her estranged father has another family. And Natalie has a sister, Grace Burnette McElroy. The news thrills her, but her mother’s debilitating stroke puts her plans to meet her sister on hold.

Her mother’s recovery gives Natalie time to follow Grace. She discovers she’s not the only one stalking the McElroys. Desperate to protect them, she becomes involved in a fight with a vengeful drug lord.

While Grace struggles to make sense of her ghost-sister, Natalie works behind the scenes to save her niece. Because without Stella’s child, there may be no chance of establishing the kind of sister relationship Natalie craves and Grace mourns.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

I’m one of those people who reminds everybody of someone else. Strangers approach me to ask where we met before and are disbelieving or disappointed when I explain we haven’t. If questioned about what I do for a living, I say surveillance and flash a mysterious look, an expression I’ve practiced in the mirror hundreds of times. I tell them my work is classified, which is more of a misdirection than a downright lie. My actual job is with a temp agency because Natalie Burden is a temporary kind of girl. I am in the espionage business, though, in a highly specialized capacity. But I never divulge my area of expertise. Because if I did, I would have to admit to them and myself that an agent with only one person of interest is less spy and more stalker.

Author Bio:

Katherine Nichols is a writer of suspense with heart and humor. She is the author of The Sometime Sister, The Unreliables, and Trust Issues. A vice president of The Atlanta Writers Club, she also serves on the board of Sisters in Crime Atlanta. As a strong proponent of women authors supporting each other, Katherine is a co-host of the inspirational Wild Women Who Write Take Flight podcast. When she isn’t spending time with her children and grandchildren, Katherine loves to read, walk, and travel. She lives in Lilburn, Georgia with her husband, two rescue dogs, and two rescue cats.

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**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

It’s going to be a very quick post this week. For the 5th week in a row I behaved myself and didn’t totally overwhelm my towering TBR and this week I did that in spectacular fashion by only adding one new title. An author I’ve read and enjoyed before I just couldn’t pass this by but I feel the behaving won’t last forever so I’m enjoying my success while I can. 🤣

As always clicking the covers will take you to the book on Amazon!**

New additions from Netgalley July 2nd – July 9th

A woman risks everything to end her family’s centuries-old curse, solve her mother’s disappearance, and find love in this mesmerizing novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Spells for Forgetting.

In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line. The whole town remembers the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving June to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors.

It’s been a year since June started seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. Faint wind chimes, a voice calling her name, and a mysterious door appearing out of nowhere—the signs of what June always knew was coming. But June is determined to end the curse once and for all, even if she must sacrifice finding love and having a family of her own.

After her grandmother’s death, June discovers a series of cryptic clues regarding her mother’sdecades-old disappearance, except they only lead to more questions. But could the door she once assumed was a hallucination be the answer she’s been searching for? The next time it appears, June realizes she can touch it and walk past the threshold. And when she does, she embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but also uncover the lingering mysteries of her small town and entangle her heart in an epic star-crossed love.

With The Unmaking of June Farrow, Adrienne Young delivers a brilliant novel of romance, mystery, and a touch of the impossible—a story you will never forget.

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

It Feels Like Home
Ali Lucia Sky
Publication date: July 5th 2023
Genres: Romance, Young Adult

Jacelyn Waverly might need a twelve-step program for jerks.

One jerk, in particular, Ky Linley, because even two years apart hasn’t stopped the butterflies from taking flight in her stomach when he’s around.

After humiliating her in her freshman year and starting rumors that dogged her reputation, Ky shouldn’t get a second chance. Still, she’s returned home older and wiser, and everyone seems different now. But with an angry sister, an overworked mom, a father on the opposite side of the country, and a best friend who is just starting to fall in love for the first time, it all seems like a lot.

But sometimes, growing up feels like coming home.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“Hey, baby?” My mom shook my shoulder, and I jumped and her iPad thumped to the carpeted floor. I rubbed my eyes. “Jacie, I told you not to worry about getting a job. We’re fine. You’re exhausted, and you only just got home. We can make it on my paycheck. I appreciate it, but you don’t have to do this.”

“I’m not exhausted, I’m a little tired because I got up to talk to Mare this morning. I made her breakfast too–crap, I left dishes everywhere. Sorry mom.” I facepalm. Here I was trying to make her life easier, and I made chores for her.

She laughed. “This is your first summer since you left and aren’t doing homework. You should enjoy it. You are done taking care of your dad, you don’t have to take care of us. Your job is to go out and screw up, make me worry, come home late from partying and make questionable choices,” she joked.

“You want two Marises?” I smiled.

“I worry. I don’t want you to feel you have to work in an Italian Restaurant, feed your family, and take care of your older sister. I’m the mom. It’s okay to be irresponsible. You deserve it. You’ve been very disciplined since you left.” I sighed and nodded. Oddly, I responded to that by getting up and going and making my mom a coffee. She liked the instant type, with so much sugar it would give an elephant cavities, and enough milk to turn it white.

“What are you doing, hon?” she asked, watching me.

“We’re having a grown up conversation, and you sound a little unbalanced, I’m getting you coffee,” I teased. I stirred the creamer and brought it to the table and sat it down so she’d get

the idea that she should relax. “I want to work. It’s boring doing nothing. Plus, I have plenty of time to get up to trouble that will give you graying hair. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to get pregnant, and I can always get someone to buy me alcohol to start an early drinking problem. If something like that would make you happy, I can try either option for you,” I say facetiously.

“I would prefer irresponsible drinking without the long term habit. I’m not ready to be a grandmother. Although, I have no doubt, if it happened, you’d step up and handle it better than I did when it happened, and I was an adult when I had Maris. You’re just so put together. I wish you were selfish like your father and Mare. At least I can count on her being useless to me all summer. And I have no use for your dad at all. You’re my golden child, Jacelyn.”

“I’ll find a bad crowd and start making friends with questionable characters immediately just for you, mom,” I teased. “Maybe find a guy with a one word name… Rancid? He will ride a motorcycle and not wash.” I moved to the fridge and pulled out the sweet tea I made and poured a tall glass and took a long drink before pouring more and continued. “I’ll shave my head into a mohawk, dye it green and put a hole through my cheek.”

My mother smiled broadly, liking this game. “See? Now we’re talking. You’ll have your thing, and Mare will have avoiding reality and things at home, and driving badly. I’m sad now that I didn’t have a son to sneak around with a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, but you and Rancid should have that covered.”

I moved to the table and sat on one leg folded beneath me and pointed at her. “You have Peter, and he is dating a boy who is on the wrong side of the closet door.”

She waved her head and lifted her cup for a sip, “He’s just one of my girls. I guess I can consider him the daughter sneaking around though.”

I loved my mom. She was just one of those people who tried to find the humor in everything. We often had conversations that were ridiculous like this. She told me that her favorite thing was to hear us laugh, and her second favorite thing was to have something to laugh about. The way her mind worked always made me feel better, lighter. My mom put me at ease about serious things.

I know Maris took her for granted, but having spent two years with my dad, I appreciated her in a way I never would have had I stayed here. The time apart gave us both a different view of one another.

She wasn’t just my mom, she was one of my best friends.

“I’ve heard everything you said. I want you to know I like working. I don’t like having all this spare time to sit and kill. It’s boring. I also like the people I work with. It’s healthy, and next week when I get paid, I’d like to take over buying some of the groceries, at least my own.” I held up my hand when she looked like she was going to argue. “I know you can afford it, but I’m going to have to start affording my own things this fall. I’m going to put the rest away for college.”

“Jesus, Jacelyn, you’re killing me!” my mom moaned. “Very well. So independent. What are your hours?”

“I’m part-time until I get my car, and then I’ll be full-time,” I replied.

She nodded. “How are you getting to work in the time being? I feel awful that I never got a second car now.”

I saw the lines on her face and reached across the table and tapped the surface. “We are fine. A guy from work is getting me to and from work. Ricky put us on the same shifts so there wouldn’t be any conflicts. I–” I sighed. “Peter stranded me for a date the other night.”

She made a face and nodded in a way that said it’s to be expected. “It’s good you have a reliable ride then. Do I need to worry that he’s some thirty-year old pedofile? Or worse a twenty something hottie who sells sex to uptight, responsible types?”

I laugh. “Closer on number two, but no cigar. It’s Ky Linley. Maris has already had a fit, so you can relax. He’s a teenage heartbreaker, who I remember well enough, makes fools of young girls. I know his flirting doesn’t mean he likes me.”

“Jacelyn,” my mom’s tone is one of understanding. “Just so you know, boys grow up. It’s not all G.I. Joe’s and girls ’panties forever. Don’t discount him just because of something he did when he was a kid. He could surprise you.”

Author Bio:

Ali Lucia Sky is the author of The Powers That Be series. She lives in Southern California with her husband and a house full of kitty cats and a yard full of crows.

She loves laughing, drinking good coffee, vegan food, and supporting animal rescues.

When she isn’t writing or dreaming of new stories, she can be found planning her next vacation because traveling is life.

If you encounter her in the wild, don’t be offended if she should run away. She’s timid with strangers, but can be plied with shiny things and pictures of your cat or dog.

She’s a weirdo like that.

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